Getty Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons greets fans as he leaves an NFL field.
For Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, the latest criticism of a young quarterback smells similar to something he’s experienced before.
The two-time Pro Bowler is famously outspoken, and his attention is now turning toward C.J. Stroud, an Ohio State quarterback who is expected to go in the first five picks of the draft.
On April 25, ESPN analyst and former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III called out the “hate” for Stroud as the April 27-29 draft approaches. In a tweet, Parsons piggybacked on that statement by recalling when Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields was drafted out of Ohio State, in 2021.
“It’s no coincidence! They did the same thing with Justin fields! We see how that turned out lol!” Parsons tweeted on April 25.
Griffin III Defends C.J. Stroud
For much of the offseason, Stroud was touted as the likely first or second pick of the draft. Since an April 24 story in The Athletic reported that Stroud fared in the 18th percentile of a cognitive test, his value has fallen. As of April 26, he now had the third-best odds to be selected No. 1, according to FanDuel, behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis. FanDuel gives Stroud the best odds of getting drafted fourth.
However, Griffin thinks the reason for Stroud’s drop in value has more to do with it being “lying season,” saying there are plenty of narratives and motives that would want Stroud to move down the board.
“Am I losing my senses? When did CJ Stroud become a guy that was going to drop out of the top 2 or 3 into the top 10?” Griffin said on the April 25 episode of ESPN’s “Get Up.” “This guy was arguably going to be the No. 1 pick in the draft just a couple of weeks ago. So whoever is putting out all these rumors and all these stories, you have to take it with a grain of salt because it is 100% lying season when you get this close to the draft.”
The CJ Stroud hate the last few weeks has gotten RIDICULOUS.
Stroud was one of the best quarterbacks in college football over the past two seasons, amassing 8,123 passing yards and 85 touchdowns for the Buckeyes.
Cowboys Could Make NFL Draft Trade
With QB Dak Prescott heading the Cowboys’ offense and Stroud being a top prospect, Dallas won’t be where the Ohio State quarterback takes his talents. However, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys won’t make a splash higher up in the draft.
Dallas has the No. 26 overall pick, but the team’s EVP, Stephen Jones, confirmed on April 24 that there are trade discussions happening. The Cowboys could move up or down, but a move up would create plenty of headlines.
“Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said there are trade discussions happening, but nothing concrete,” DMN reporter Michael Gehlken Tweeted. “‘Very few trades are done in the back end.’ Little sense today on how board will fall. ‘I just think it will be a game-day decision, if you will, on how it evolves.’”
Jones also said there are somewhere between 15 and 18 players that the Cowboys graded as first-round players. That’s not necessarily a hint about where and how Dallas could trade up, but it does give an idea of where they think the first serious drop in talent is.